Zahkir
A masculine Arabic name meaning "the one who remembers" or "mindful".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Zahkir. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zahkir today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zahkir births was 2013 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zahkir. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zahkir. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2013
6 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,099
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Zahkir: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Zahkir by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Zahkir during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Zahkir
The given name Zahkir has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic root word "zakara," which means "to remember" or "to mention." The name is closely associated with the concept of remembrance and recollection, often used to refer to someone who is mindful or contemplative.
In the early Islamic period, the name Zahkir was commonly given to individuals who were known for their piety, devotion, and remembrance of God. It was particularly popular among scholars, theologians, and those who dedicated their lives to the study and preservation of religious knowledge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zahkir can be found in the works of Islamic historians and scholars from the 8th and 9th centuries CE. These sources mention several individuals bearing this name, including Zahkir ibn Muhammad al-Bukhari (810-870 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar and compiler of the renowned hadith collection, Sahih al-Bukhari.
Throughout history, the name Zahkir has been associated with various notable figures. One of the most prominent individuals was Zahkir al-Din Baybars (1223-1277 CE), a Mamluk Sultan of Egypt and Syria, who is celebrated for his military victories against the Crusaders and his contributions to the architectural and cultural Renaissance of the region.
Another influential figure was Zahkir al-Din Razi (1149-1209 CE), a Persian philosopher, physician, and polymath, known for his significant contributions to the fields of medicine, physics, and metaphysics. His works, such as the "Al-Hawi" (The Comprehensive Book on Medicine), were highly influential in the Islamic world and beyond.
In the realm of literature, Zahkir al-Din Nakhshabi (1230-1289 CE) was a renowned Persian poet and mystic, celebrated for his spiritual and mystical poetry. His works, including the "Tuhfat al-'Iraqayn" (The Gift of the Two Iraqs), have left a lasting impact on the Persian literary tradition.
Zahkir Khan (1671-1710 CE) was an influential Mughal governor and military commander, who played a significant role in expanding and consolidating the Mughal Empire's territories in the Indian subcontinent during the reign of Aurangzeb.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the name Zahkir throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich cultural and intellectual heritage of the regions they hailed from.
People
Zahkir + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zahkir as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zahkir: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zahkir?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zahkir going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Zahkir a common name?
We classify Zahkir as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zahkir most popular?
The single biggest year for Zahkir was 2013, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zahkir is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Zahkir in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zahkir a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zahkir in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Zahkir still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zahkir in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Zahkir can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Zahkir?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Zahkir at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.